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Angry Moa upset by HGH links

Ian McCullough

A furious Sam Moa revealed anger was the key to the Sydney Roosters' 40-14 NRL preliminary final win on Saturday over Newcastle.

Last Thursday, Moa, Boyd Cordner and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck were named in a newspaper report, linking the Roosters to the use of performance-enhancing substances after it emerged the club sacked a sports nutrition company earlier this year when six players returned blood tests with elevated readings for Human Growth Hormone (HGH).

The firm, Nubodi, had been employed to finetune detox diets of the Roosters' squad.

The trio were later re-tested by the club, with those blood tests not returning elevated levels of HGH and there is no suggestion Moa, Cordner or Tuivasa-Sheck acted improperly.

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Subsequently, the front-rower said he was stunned to see his picture splashed across the news.

"It's been the hardest week of my career putting up with this adversity, but I had great support from the club and my family," Moa told AAP.

"We went into this game with the mindset that we were going to show everyone that's what's been written about us was rubbish.

"It was a bit of motivation to stick it up them."

Moa has enjoyed a fairytale first full season in the NRL having returned at the start of this season following a successful four-year stint with Hull in the English Super League.

The 27-year-old played one first-grade game for Cronulla before heading to the UK in 2009 and lined up alongside Roosters assistant coach Craig Fitzgibbon who then persuaded Trent Robinson to sign him.

And the Tongan international said he was furious to see his name linked with banned substances and insists he's never used anything illegal in his life.

"I was very angry. I have worked so very hard to get where I am now," he said.

"I am not on massive money, but I treat my career very seriously and ensure I eat the right things, look after myself properly and in a professional manner.

"To be implicated in a stupid story like that and have our faces splashed across the paper and named like that was embarrassing. They took a shot at our character."

Moa said he wasn't concerned about the story having any implications as he knew he'd done nothing wrong but admitted he was concerned how it might affect his two younger teammates.

"Boyd and Roger are about 20 or 21 and are two of the hardest trainers at the club," he said.

"To see Roger go through that before the biggest game his career was tough. I am a but older and can handle stuff like this, but they have never been involved in something like that.

"But the rest of the boys were fantastic. They all came in on their day off for a meeting and showed their support.